Bicycle.



No. 633,747. Patented Sept. 26, I899. J. C. ANDERSON.

BICYCLE.

(Application filed Feb. 8, 189B. Renewed In. 9, 1899.) (No Model.) 4Sheets-Shed l.

WITNESSES imwwz A OHNE 9 9 m 6 2 .L p e S d e t n e t a P N 0 n E EL DCNY Am .B C

(Application filed Feb. 8, 1898. Renewed Mar. 9, 1899.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 2,

(No Model.)

INVENTOH WITNESSES ATTORNEY.

No. 633,747. Patented .Sept. 26, I899. J. C. ANDERSON.

BICYCLE. (Application file d Feb. 8, 1898. Renewed Mar. 9. 1899.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

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W/T/VE-SSES Patented se nzs, 1899 J. c. ANDERSON.

BICYCLE.

(Application filed Feb. 8, 1898. Renewed Mar. 9, 1899.)

(No Model.)

4 ShsetsSheet 4 W/ TN E SSE S INVENTOH A TTOHNE).

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES C. ANDERSON, OF HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS.

BICYCLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 633,747, datedSeptember 26, 1899.

Application filed February 8, 1898. Renewed March 9,1899. Serial No-703,459. (N0 Od L To to whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES C. ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Highland Park, in the county of Lake andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBicycles, (Case 0,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in bicycles,and particularly that class in which the power applied to thecrank-shaft is transmitted to the rear wheel through the medium of anintermediate rotary shaft. The undue friction and biting action of theordinary sprocket-chains as now employed in safety-bicycles and theannoying clicking sound of the chain in housing and releasing thesprockets on the sprocket-wheels has led to a desire for what is knownas the chainless bicycle and various constructions in this class ofmachines have been devised to meet the public demand, the most commonand practical constructions in this line being such as employ a train ofordinary gear-wheels or a rotary shaft arranged intermediate of thecrank-shaft and rear wheel and geared with each through the medium ofbevel or crown gearing. In both of these constructions an excessiveamount of friction is produced, and any springing, twisting, orvibration of the frame adds very materially to the existing naturalfriction.

My invention, as above stated, relates to that class of machines inwhich an interme diate power-transmitting shaft is employed; and it hasfor its object to provide means for driving this shaft and the rearwheel which shall be compact and steady in its action and which will notbe materially influenced by the usual variations in adjustment andalinement of the various parts of the machine; and with this end in viewmy invention consists in connecting the transmitting-shaft with thecrank-shaft and rear wheel through the medium of peculiarly constructedsprocket wheels and chains, as will hereinafter and in detail beexplained. In order that those skilled in the art may fully understandmy invention, I will proceed to describe the construction and operationof the same, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bicycle embodying my invention.Fig. 2 is a similar View, on an enlarged scale, of the driving mechanismand so much of the frame of a bicycle as is necessary to illustrate therelation of parts. Fig. 3 is a plan view on same scale. Fig. 4 is a sideelevation, full size, of the sprocket wheels and chain through themedium of which power from the power-transmitting shaft is conveyed tothe rear wheel. Fig. 5 is an elevation, full size, of the crank shaft,sprocket wheel and chain,and sprocketwheels for conveying power andmotion to the power-transmitting shaft. Fig. 6 is a section taken on theline a: a; of Fig. 2, and Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line y 1 ofFig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the several figuresof the drawings.

A A represent, respectively, the front and rear stays of the frame; B B,the lower fork; C, the crank-hanger; D, the crank-shaft; E, thewheel-hub; F, the axle or shaft of the rear wheel, and G the rear wheel,all of the usual construction.

H H are brackets orhangers secured to and depending from the lower-forktube B, in which is mounted a sectional power-transmitting shaft I inball-bearings. Each end of the shaft I is provided with a fixedsprocketwheel J J, the sprockets of which are of peculiar construction,as will be hereinafter fully described. The rear-wheel hub E is providedwith a fixed sprocket K of similar construction with the sprocket-wheelJ, and an idler K of similar construction is mounted in the lower end ofhanger-plate L, secured to the end of the frame. The axle F passesthrough the plate L, and a nut M secures the same in position, asclearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The lower end of plate L is formed witha sleeve N to receive the shaft of the idler sprocketwheel K, as clearlyshown in section at Fig. 6. Extending upwardly from the front bracket His an arm 0, in the upper end of which is mounted in ballbearings anidler sprocket-wheel P, similar in construction to theidlersprocket-wheel K.

The sprocket-wheel K and idler K are geared together by a sprocket-chainQ, and the sprocket-wheel J on the front end of the shaft I and theidler P are similarly geared together by a sprocket-chain Q. Thesprocketchains Q and Q are of special construction. I

(See Figs. 4- and. The side links (t are slotted or gated, as shown ata, to receive the sprockets of the wheels arranged at right angles tothe sprocket-wheels, geared together by the chains, and theconnecting-blocks l), to which the side links are pivoted, are providedwith curved faces or recesses transverse to their pivots, as clearlyshown in Fig. 5, to constitute seats for the correspondinglyshaped facesof the sprocket-teeth engaging the blocks. This construction not only secures accuratecentering of the sprocketteeth in the chain, but alsoserves to hold the chain in perfectly straight alineinent between thesprocket-wheels, which is especially desirable for a purpose presentlyexplained. The sprocket-teeth on crank-shaft sprocketwheel R and theteeth on sprocket-wheel J at the rear end of the shaft I are formed witha curved head extending each side of the shankand are adapted to enterthe slots or gates a in the side links a, so that the curved headsreferred to will seat themselves in the curved faces or recesses in theconnectingblocks 1), as seen at Fig. 5, and the sprocketteeth on thewheels J, K, K, and P are devoid of the rounded or curved head, as shownon the sprockets of the wheels R and J, but have their edges or faceswhich contact with the chain-blocks b curved in both directions, asclearly shown at Figs. 4 and 5, so that the curved faces of saidsprockets will also be seated within the curved recesses in the blocksI).

From the construction and arrangement of the sprocket wheels and chainsit will be seen that the sprocket-chain Q at the forward end of themachine traverses the sprocket-wheel J on the end of shaft I and the.idler sprocketwheel P in the supporting-arm O and that thepeculiarly-shaped teeth of the crank-shaft sprocket-wheel R enter thegates in the side linksaof the chainlyingbetweenthe sprocketwheels J Pand that the rotation of the sprocket-wheel R necessarily drives thechain Q, which in turn rotates the sprocket-wheel J and the shaft I, towhich it is attached.

The sprocket-wheel J at the rear end of shaft 1- is provided with teethsimilar to those on the sprocket-wheel R, and they enter the gates a inthe side links of the chain Q, traversing the sprocket-wheel K and idlerK and drive the chain in such manner that it will cause the fixedsprocket-wheel K 011 the rear-wheel hub to rotate and with it the rearwheel.

The peculiar construction of the sprocket teeth on the sprocket-wheels JP at the front end of the machine and of the sprocketwheel K and idler Kat the rear end of themachine and the recessed or curved faces of theblocks 1) of the chains Q and Q hold the said chains against lateralthrust or vibration in such manner-that the heads of the sprocketteethon the crank-shaft sprocket-wheelR and on the sprocket-wheel J at therear end of the shaft I will enter the gates a with precision andaccurately seat themselves in the recesses of the blocks Z), and as thecurves of the recesses in the blocks 1) and the curves of the heads ofthe sprocket-teeth are drawn from similar centers the contact of theteeth with the blocks Z) is gradually made and gradually released, andat the same time the chain is held in perfect alinement. The double orogee curve of the contact-faces of the sprocketteeth on the wheels J, P,and K actin a similar manner in entering between the side links of thechain and in moving out from the same, and when they are in operativeposition, with their curved faces in contact with the curved recess orpocket of the chain-blocks, the chain is held in alinement and is alwaysin proper operative relation with all of the sprocketwheels and thenecessary friction reduced to the minimum. It will also be understoodthat as the result of the peculiar construction and arrangement of thedriving mechanism it is not sensitive to or seriously affected by theusual strain or distortion of the frame of the machine, as the curvedrelation of the contact-surfaces of the sprocket-teeth and the chain-blocks Z2 necessarily compensates for any usual variations ofadjustment or alinement.

While my improved chain-belt gearing was devised for and is especiallyadapted to use in bicycle construction, it will be apparent that suchgearing may be used with advantage wherever it is desirable to transmitpower and motion from one plane to another, and I therefore do not wishto be limited in the use of my improvements, and it will also beunderstood that while I have shown the chain and sprocket-teethconstructed in the most desirable form for accomplishing the purpose ofmy invention changes may be made without departing from the real spiritof my invention, which lies in the idea of so constructing the chain andthe sprocket-teeth of the wheels which rotate in difierent angles thatthe said sprocket-teeth all drive the chain in the manner described andalso receive what may be denominated the bight of the chain to hold itin alinement,

Having described the construction and operation and advantages ofmyinvention,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. In a bicycle, in combination with the crankshaft provided withsprocket-wheel R, having sprocket-teeth with curved heads extending eachside of the shank, and the rear wheel provided with a sprocket-wheel Khaving sprocket-teeth the contact faces or edges of which are of ogeeform and transversely curved, a power-transmitting shaft having thesprocket-wheels J, J at the rear and forward ends, idlers K, P and thesprocketchains Q, Q having gated side links a and recessed pivots 17,substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

2. The combination and arrangement of the rotary shaft I, hung inbearings Il depending from the fork B, and provided at its rear end witha sprocket-wheel J, the rear-wheel hub provided with a fixedsprocket-Wheel K, a rigid plate L secured to the frame ofthe machine, anidler K mounted in the lower end of plate L, and a sprocket-chain Qcomposed of gated side links a and recessed pivot-blocks 1) whereby therotation of the shaft I and its sprocket-Wheel J will cause the chain Qto travel around the idler-sprocket K and rot-ate the fixed sprocket Kand rear Wheel G, substantially as described.

3. A chain-belt gearing for transmitting power and motion in planes atan angle to each other consisting of sprocket-wheels jou rnaled at anangle to each other, one of said Wheels provided with sprockets havingcurved heads .and the others with curved contactfaces, in combinationwith a sprocket-chain composed of side links and connecting-blocks, theside links formed with gates or openings a, and the connecting-blockswith curved recesses or pockets 1), substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

4. In combination with two or more sprocketwheels jonrnaled on axesparallel with each other and provided with sprocket-teeth having curvedfaces, and a sprocket-chain having gated side links a and recessedpivotblocks I), one or more sprocket-wheels journaled at an angle to theother sprocket-Wheels, and provided with sprocket teeth having curvedheads adapted to enter the gates a of the side links and to contact withthe recessed pivot-blocks Z), substantially as de scribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES C. ANDERSON.

Witnesses:

N. GURTIs LAMMOND, WALLACE MURDooK.

